There Is No Darth Vader
by Selonianth
Summary: Moments when Vader could have existed and Anakin's good side shown through. Rated M for Safety.


Summary: This occurs in Episode 3 of the Star Wars series right after Anakin realizes who Palpatine is. This is what Anakin SHOULD have done. Oneshot  
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Thank you George Lucas!

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Anakin drew his lightsaber and pointed it at Palpatine's throat. "You're the one they're hunting. You're Darth Sideous!" He accused of the famous chancellor. Oddly enough despite his rage as of late he was filled with a cool and deadly calm. Far more dangerous and lethal than any rage could ever be. He was calm, calculating, patient for the first time in his young life.

The senator seemed to become apprehensive of the blade at his throat. "While it may be true that I am not what the jedi approve of I am the only way you will save your wife Padme. Do you really want to give up the only chance you have to save her?" he asked as if without him she was doomed to death.

Anakin paused and began thinking. 'My dreams… They tell me she will die, I don't want her to die,' He thought his mind racing trying to figure out what to do, 'but what if she died anyway. If this was all for naught and she died despite me betraying the republic and all that it stands for. What if he's lying? Does he really have that power at all? He IS a sith lord after all. Can he be trusted even as far as his hair grows?' He questioned himself and the force, willing the force to guide him to the truth about this man.

Instead a voice answered him he had not heard for the past ten years. 'Trust in the force Anakin, it will not lead you astray. Do your instincts tell you to trust him? No? Then don't. Do not be swayed by any amount of clever talking. He is a sith and will try to deceive you using sugar-coated words,' Said the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn, the kind Jedi Knight that had rescued him from Tatooine... and the reason he had Padme to begin with. Could he betray the memory and trust of the man who had given him this life?

'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,' the cold voice in his head whispered. What did he have? What did he know? Padme was alive. He didn't know how she died and for all he knew she could be murdered while Anakin was away. What was Palpatine promising him? A single ability that the Sith Lord _might _possess that _might _save Padme _if _a problem were to arise and that was all assuming that he could trust the Sith Lord in the first place.

Which he couldn't, he knew that after hearing Qui-Gon Jinn's words. His brain screamed at him to tell the jedi master's. But his instincts told him that if the man knew they were coming he would easily take them out. The man hadn't survived this long because he was weak. With the words of Qui-Gon Jinn ringing in his head Anakin made his decision. Without hesitation and skill borne of fighting armies of seperatist droids, Anakin twitched his hand and took Palpatine's head off. Quickly sealing the room Anakin drew the communicator from his pocket and called the Jedi Council setting up the communicator so Palpatine wouldn't be immediately visible.

The council room appeared before him in miniature as he appeared in the council room. "Masters I have discovered the source of the blindness the Jedi have been experiencing in recent years. There was a Sith Lord hidden in plain sight," He informed the room, currently occupied by Masters Yoda, Shaak Ti, Windu, Kit Fisto, and Plo Koon.

Instantly Master Windu reached over and hit the button calling all Council Members to their communicators. Once the other seats, including Obi-wan's were filled Windu signalled Anakin to resume what he was saying. Picking up where he left off Anakin began "Chancellor Palpatine invited me to a play this evening, at the play he eluded to legends of a Sith Lord who had learned to stop people he loved from dying but was killed in his sleep by his apprentice. Shortly after he pulled me into a private room and essentially told me he was that apprentice. I drew my lightsaber and attempted to arrest him on the authority of the council but he didn't even react. He attempted to talk me into joining him and I heard the voice of a person I know to be dead. I heard the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn telling me to trust my instincts and my instincts told me that if I let him go he would be the death of the Order and all we stand for."

The assembled Masters recoiled in shock. None of them truly trusted Palpatine but to learn that he was truly their enemy was a shock. The first one to recover from their shock was Obi-Wan after his mind processed a key detail. "You speak of him as if he no longer poses a problem to the Order or the Republic. Why are you referring to him in the past tense Anakin?"

Anakin calmly turned to look at his former Master. Calm but not cold Anakin replied, "Because he is no longer a threat, he is dead. When Obi-Wan told me to listen to my instincts I did so and they ordered me to prevent him from being a threat to the Order any further. He was decapitated by my Lightsaber not 5 minutes ago. If the order chooses to punish me for not taking this to a higher authority such as yourselves instead of going after him myself I will accept the punishment. I know what I should have done but my instincts told me he was too dangerous to live." With that Anakin waited for the council-members to recover from the shock that not only had a sith lord existed without their knowledge but that sith lord was then dispatched by a Jedi Knight mere moments after learning his nature.

Yoda recovered first this time and after thinking for a quiet moment said "Your punishment discuss later we will. Deal with the Chancellors death we must." The other Masters seemed to agree.

Now it was Master Windu's turn to speak. "Dooku's death shattered the Seperatists, Grevious was just recently dispatched by Master Kenobi. The Seperatists tendered a surrender involving that all droids be shut down and investigations be made to discern the cause of the rebellion in the first place. With the Sith Lord who was clouding our vision dead we will be able to draw this to a hopefully peaceful conclusion. Anakin," The elder black man said as the much younger knight turned to look at him before he finished "Keep the room sealed until we get there."

Anakin nodded and deactivated his communicator. Once the hologram of Anakin was gone Obi-wan looked to his fellow Masters and asked, "What shall we do with the Clone Troops. We cannot merely kill them off now that the fighting is done. But we must assure their loyalty, it was never determined who exactly place the order for their creation but now that we've discovered a Sith Lord I think it best to assume it was on his orders. The problem is if they are loyal to us now that he's gone, or are they loyal to his, likely anti-jedi, orders?"

"That will have to be tested. Master Kenobi, now that the cloud has been lifted I'm sure you are having a much easier time sensing the thoughts and intentions of all around you," Shaak Ti made her presence known. "Call in your clone Commander, ask him to remove his weapons and communicator then inform him of the Chancellors death. His reaction to the news should give us some hint as to the clones overall reaction," She finished gathering nods from the majority of the council.

"I propose we each do the same, it cannot be assumed that they all think completely identically to each other," Windu replied which caused everyone to nod. "Make sure the rest of the clones cannot hear you tell your commander the news in case it does turn bad. Don't let familiarity with the clones cause you to ignore signs if things go south. We all hope for the outcome to be good, if it isn't you know what we'll have to do, they are born to be loyal, if the loyalty isn't to us we can't change that," He added and one by one the holograms faded. Only Obi-wan remained for a moment longer before he too faded out.

Windu turned to the other masters and nodded. They would talk to the commander of Coruscant's clones together.

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Meanwhile halfway across the galaxy on Utapau Obi-Wan was thinking about what he had just heard. He had seen an Anakin who was much calmer, much less rash than before. Perhaps this ghost from the past had aided the younger Jedi in finally learning patience and control. He could only hope so.

Shrugging off his thoughts of Anakin Obi-Wan focused his abilities on the here and now his sensing stretching out for the first time since just after his master died. The cloud had been hanging on the Jedi for far too long. Reaching for his short range radio-communicator he radio'd Commander Cody and said "Commander, please come see me. I need to talk to you, orders came in from the council." The clone replied with the standard Yes Sir and a couple minutes later the clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett stepped through his door way which sealed itself behind him.

"Cody, I need you to give me your pistol and communicator before we talk. The orders were to tell you a bit of news and I can't let you have your pistol while I tell you," He told the clone knowing that despite orders being no rifles on base many clones still regularly carried their side-arm in case of emergency and they couldn't get to their rifle.

Curious the Commander did as asked and gave up his pistol and communicator without questioning orders. This was a good sign. Of course, he hadn't had any reason to disobey yet so maybe it was too soon to hope.

After sitting back down upon receiving the pistol Obi-wan spoke, "Chancellor Palpatine is dead. He was discovered to be a Sith Lord about a half hour ago and Jedi Knight Skywalker brought him down."

Commander Cody now realized why he'd been asked to sacrifice his pistol and communicator. If he'd had loyalty to the deceased Sith Lord it would be bad for the clones as a whole. Luckily considering what secret orders Palpatine had given the clones, he hadn't given any concerning his death. Like he hadn't even considered the possibility of him losing his game of manipulation. "You don't need to worry General. The clones are yours."

This remark and the complete lack of any form of mental deception in the clone made Obi-Wan smile. Good, they wouldn't have to massacre a group of people they'd been fighting with for the past several years. Handing back the pistol and communicator Obi-wan sent Commander Cody out.

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Likewise was the scene with the other Jedi Generals and their clone commanders. Soon afterward the news got to the public that the chancellor had been playing them all along and that he was a Sith Lord. Calls went out for Anakin to take his place as Chancellor but the young knight refused stating that he was a jedi now and forever. Not long after that Padme gave birth to two healthy babies named Luke and Leia Skywalker.

Ironically Leia still ended up marrying Han Solo after the Jedi managed to bring down the Hutt organization and the rugged smuggler made an impression on her when she visited him in jail. The Jedi Council decided that relationships shouldn't be forbidden for Jedi so long as the Jedi remains faithful to the code. Luke and Leia became two of the most powerful jedi to ever live and ushered in a peace that would last for centuries.

Anakin Skywalker died at the ripe old age of 250 after watching his son and daughter live happy lives. His last words to his son as he lay dying were "May the force be with you."


End file.
